Cathy is plagued by '20 to 30' symptoms of this condition every day, but her work won't support her
By Maddison Leach|
Migraines, brain fog, hot flashes and crippling exhaustion are just a few of the symptoms Cathy Jones* has been battling this year.
Her condition has eaten up all her sick leave and her workplace has started to ask questions, yet the taboo surrounding her condition has kept Jones silent.
"I've got no sick leave left because I've had headaches, I'm exhausted, some days I can't even gather the strength to get up and go to the toilet," she tells 9Honey.
"Now if I physically can't push on for the day, I don't get paid. And then that has a domino effect of me worrying about the financial side of it as well."
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But Jones isn't suffering from some rare illness. In fact, her condition is so common almost every woman on the planet has experienced or will experience it.
Jones, 50, is going through menopause and says her workplace is making it harder than it should be.
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Occurring between the ages of 45 to 60, menopause symptoms and duration can vary wildly and often affect a woman's day-to-day life.
Studies show that some women can spend a decade juggling work with menopause, while one in 10 choose to leave their job entirely because of it.
While Jones hasn't reached that point yet, the lack of sensitivity around menopause in her workplace has left her battling anxiety and desperate for change.
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"I had to have a 'back to work' meeting because I'd had a few days off, not even in a row. That does not make you feel good," she says, describing the meeting as "an inquisition".
"I'm not a child, I'm a great person and I'm a good worker. I'm not unprofessional, I'm just bloody tired or I had a migraine where I couldn't even stand up and drive."
It's rare for her to get a full night's sleep these days and other symptoms, like brain fog and constant headaches, regularly affect her ability to work.
Meanwhile, the taboo around menopause keeps her from speaking up and seeking support from her colleagues, many of whom have no idea what she's going through.
Even if they did, she worries the lack of education around menopause would only cause more problems for her in the workplace.
"There's no sensitivity coming from people who are probably 20 years younger than me," Jones says, adding that most women have a limited knowledge of menopause until they experience it.?
With no sick leave left, she now has to visit the doctor for a certificate whenever she needs time off due to her symptoms, but even that comes at a cost.
Missing out on work means less money coming in, adding financial stress on top of everything else.
"It's enough going through it emotionally and physically without having the added financial pressure," she admits.
"It's a really horrible to go through. It's draining and it affects you so much."
It's been estimated that menopause costs Australian women $17 billion in lost earnings and super each year, yet we rarely hear about how it can cripple a woman's finances.
In truth, we rarely hear about menopause at all จC but Jones wants that to change.
"It's a really horrible to go through. It's draining and it affects you so much. There are 20-30 symptoms that you could go through in a day sometimes, and people just don't want to address it," she explains.
"There's no policies in place for menopause. You've got loads of people focusing on mental health and parental leave, but I've got no sick leave left and 80 per cent of that is because of my menopause symptoms."
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Instead of branding menopause as "a woman thing" and sweeping it under the rug, Jones wants workplaces to acknowledge how it affects female workers and provide support and accommodations.
"It is as important as mental health, as important as menstruation or PMS or anxiety. It's something women go through and it needs to have that recognition," she says.
That could mean access to 'menopause leave', similar to menstruation leave some companies currently provide for people who need time off due to period symptoms.
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It could also mean better education and training for workplaces to support women dealing with crippling menopause symptoms, like Jones.
"I never imagined how much of me would be affected by it, from how I interact with people to just feeling alone because of the way society sees it," she says.
"If we can start something now in the workplace to recognise menopause and not push it under the rugกญ we can acknowledge that people are suffering, emotionally and physically."
For centuries women have been expected to "just get on with it" while going through menopause, but as more women like Jones speak up, we could soon see that change.
There are so many women with stories like hers, many of whom she's connected with through an online support group run by wellness brand Happy Healthy You.
The group helped her realise she's not alone and she hopes in the years to come, support becomes more accessible to every woman who goes through menopause in Australia.
"This is what's going to happen to every woman ultimately, and it's not anything bad. We just need to acknowledge it and know that there's support out there," she concludes.
*Name changed for privacy.?
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